A: A mocha head builds quickly to a finger plus in height atop a dense black coloring. A thin film lacing is fairly generous on the coating. Hard to argue color wise here, a black ipa it is, modest head size and retention rate fairs good as well with a frothy topping that was mostly lasting.

S: fresh, young green pine cones and a fresh citrusy nature with a dash of peppery flair. Sweet whole grapefruit rounds things out with a moderate sense of strength.

T: Dark roast takes over on the flavor, hearty with a dark chocolate malting that interacts with a light pine hopping. Funny as the nose was fresh and green offering little in the way of roast, while the flavor was quite the opposite. The hops pick up a bit upon warming, while the dark chocolate malts are lush, dark and creamy with a rich roasted nature picking up as well. On the finish was the slightest touch of burnt grains.

Near lightproof black colored beer with a small brown colored head that doesn't last.

Smells interesting more than just overpowering hops in this. Strong wheat grain with raisins with some carrot in it. Lesser smells of smoke and chocolate. Hop scent is mostly herbal like British Beer. Savory smell with one weird one, this smells of tomato!

Starts out sort of bittersweet with a little more of the bitter. Carrot and wheat husk flavor comes next. This is a little stingy on the tongue you can perceive the alcohol level. Bitter is stronger than sweet all the way through the glass. All that remains of the patent malt is an aftertaste. No strong hop flavor at all.

Mouthfeel is thick for the style.

Overall this was a very worthwhile purchase. Bittersweet beer with an emphasis on the bittersweet part. No single strong flavor, a very interesting beer.

Faded, hazy gold. It's a pretty color. A fluffy one finger head rises above the glass.

Soapy, herbal aroma - smells an awful lot like lemon pine-sol. Brutally sharp zesty citrus notes. Sugar cookie and biscuit dust. The taste is a wash of juicy orange, tangerine and lemon. Very herbal with lots of leafy tea. Ripe and dense. Strong hop crackle with a moderate bitterness. Some alcohol. Medium body for a DIPA. Oily slickness is balanced by sticky resin. Carbonation has a lively fervor that sets the overall tone for the hops. The carbonation is too vigorous.

Poured from a bottle into a weisse vase, the beer pours a dark jet black coloring with a milk-chocolate colored head that makes a pretty decent cascade as it pours and settles. The final product is a foamy, dense, thick two inch head. This beer has a great lacing effect as it settles and you drink. The beer does have some ruby highlights in it when up to light...sexy beer. The nose is resinously hoppy, with robust flavors of sappy cedar, spicy pepper, and pine needles. This smells delicious. The first flavor punch hits the tip of the tongue and the back of the throat at the same time, and it is coffee and milk chocolate. Wait, what? Lemme take another sip...oh yeah, bitter coffee and a silky, smooth milk chocolate. Shortly after the initial shock, the hops kick it up a notch on the bitterness scale, as well as spicing it up quite a bit. This beer has a great blend with all the spicy, sweet, and bitter flavors. It keeps the tastebuds guessing with feel and flavor. Delicious! All this leads to an interesting mouthfeel, with some creamy characteristics, but also an effervescent, sharp, and crips feel to it as well. The creamy milk chocolate flavor comes through the aftertaste with a bit of the peppery hops, and the finish is crisp and a bit dry, amazingly enough. What a unique and interesting brew. I look forward to "studying" this concoction further!

On-tap at Ale+Witch. It pours like a typical Black IPA, brown-black with a tan head, akin to a Porter. The nose is roasty and pungently bitter, offering general notes of pine sap and citrus pith. The flavor is more of the same; quite nice, but its also fairly run of the mill for this suddenly oft-produced style. Specifics include green grassy notes, pine tar, burnt coffee and unsweetened cocoa, with the whole package focusing on robust and bitter elements. The feel is fuller of body and softly carbonated. Overall, pretty nice, but not much different from the glut of ABAs.